TC 9: Affairs of Love
by Tegan's Muse
Summary: Are they in love or is it something else?
1. Chapter 1

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 1**

Tegan woke up as sunlight filtered through the blinds. Her heart rate quickened as she realized she'd over slept, which was a split second before it stopped beating as she realized there was an arm draped over her. Attached to the arm was a warm body pressed into her back, and if Tegan's guess was right it was a female body.

She lay perfectly still trying to remember exactly what her last conscious moments had been. Her face began to flush as she remembered going to Mac's. What else? The heat in her own body continued to rise, she was certain from embarrassment. How could she not remember bringing some one home from a bar? A woman?

She opened her eyes to make sure it was even her own house she'd come back to, sure enough which meant no easy escape. Just what had she done? What had she been thinking? Worse yet, who'd seen her?

Her mouth tasted like she'd been sucking on Jack's dirty gym socks. She felt a tickle in the back of her throat as beads of perspiration formed on her upper lip. She swallowed. Hot, she was so hot. She swallowed again, the tickle only increased until loud harsh coughing ensued.

She felt a hand flatten against her back and remain there until the coughing subsided. She decided to speak before the other woman had a chance. "Look, I don't know why you're here, in my bed. I don't know…"

The owner of the hand waited until the second round of coughing halted. "I'm taking you in to have chest films done."

"Janet?"

"Who'd you think?" Janet almost laughed at the panic in Tegan's voice.

"I –" She turned to look at Janet who wore an amused look and a borrowed air force shirt and cotton shorts from one of Tegan's drawers. "I'm confused."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Walking into Mac's."

"You don't remember downing a shot of Jack Daniel's?"

She shook her head no. "I don't drink."

"I think you were self medicating."

That made sense, Tegan remembered a med professor saying if he didn't have cough syrup a shot of hard whisky always did the trick. "That explains the dead skunk in my mouth."

"You made it back to the table and went out like a candle in a wind storm within seconds. Sam and I brought you back here. You had a slight fever and I didn't want it spiking in the middle of the night. I figured…" She paused while Tegan tried to bring up half a lung. "I figured if I slept with you, I'd feel it if your temperature started to get too high."

"Ah." Tegan pushed to her feet. Janet sleeping with her was starting to become a habit. First it was after her psycho dad showed up, then some crazed guy on another planet drugged her, Janet had used the temperature excuse then too. Now this, Tegan shook her head. "I'm late for work."

"It's Saturday and you're off."

"That's good."

"Is it?" Janet knew she was up to something.

"Yup," She let her lips pop on the p. "It means I don't have to follow orders from some half naked woman in my bed."

"You know that's not true." Janet wasn't referring to the half naked part, even though she was completely clothed.

"It is." Tegan glanced at the bathroom. "I'm going to brush my teeth and try to get this mink coat off my tongue. I've got instant coffee somewhere in the kitchen, in the event I ever wake up with a stranger in my bed. Make yourself at home."

"That mink isn't from the Jack Daniel's, it's because you're sick."

"Man, you'd think you went to med school." Tegan winked before disappearing into the master bath.

When she came downstairs thirty minutes later, to find Janet sitting on the couch with a medical journal in one hand and coffee in the other, she was wearing her battle dress uniform and combat boots. Janet glanced up at her. "Did you forget you were off today?"

"No." Tegan sank weakly into the other end of the couch. Wiped out from the energy she'd exerted getting a shower. "I think I need to take you up on those x-rays."

Janet dropped Tegan's medical journal on her lap and turned her full attention to her. "What changed your mind?"  
>"I coughed up one of Santa's elves while brushing my teeth." She knew she didn't need to put on her uniform, but it was easier than figuring out what to wear at the moment.<p>

"Red or green?"

"Both, he'd been through the blender." She wrinkled her nose.

"We're going to need to do cultures."

"Sorry, I didn't have a sterile cup on me." Tegan shrugged. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I can produce another one on command."

"You know, I'm probably going to have to admit you?"

"And you know, I'm probably going to have to complain, and be the worst patient ever."

"I don't think you could be any worse than Major Kiser," Janet joked. "She's a real PITA."

"I'm a pain in the ass? You should trying taking care of yourself sometime." She jabbed back before glancing around the living room.

"What?"

"Where's Shadow?"

"Sam took him for the night in case I had to call for a medical transport."

"Smart." Tegan tapped her forehead.

"So, what's the verdict?"

Janet snapped the films up on the light box. "You've got a mild case of pneumonia."

"How'd that happen?"

"Gee, it couldn't have anything with you being a workaholic now couldn't it?"

"No." Tegan rolled her eyes. "So, antibiotic and I get to go home right?"

Janet looked at her for a minute. "My house for the weekend?"

Tegan shrugged, it was better than being bored out of her mind in the infirmary. "I'm sure your staff would love you if you didn't make me stay here."

"It's your choice."

"Ok."

"Are you sick?" Cassie asked when she got home from her friend's slumber party and found Tegan sprawled out on the end of the couch.

"Just a little." She held her fingers apart about an inch.

"Cause otherwise mom would have you in the infirmary."

"Something like that," Tegan coughed.

"Cassie is that you?" Janet came in from the kitchen where she was fixing chicken and rice soup.

"Yeah."

"You need to take your stuff upstairs."

"Can I play video games?"

"After you put your stuff away."

Much to Janet's dismay Tegan spent most of the weekend playing video games with Cassie. "I thought I told you to rest."

"This is resting." Tegan elbowed Cassie as she passed her on the race track. "It surely isn't work."

"Cass, its bedtime."

"Mom, just let me finish this race."

Tegan paused the game. "You're mom's right, I can't have you sleeping through school tomorrow. Besides, I need to sleep so I can bring my A game at work tomorrow too."

"This doesn't count as a win." Cassie hopped of the couch and turned the game console off.

"Fine." Tegan watched Cassie give Janet a hug and then ask Shadow if he wanted to sleep with her.

Once they'd both headed up the stairs Janet turned to Tegan. "You're not going in tomorrow."

"I'm feeling better."

"I realize that, but I want you to give it another day. Go home and really rest, no cleaning, no video games, and report to the infirmary first thing Tuesday so I can release you for limited duty."

Rather than argue Tegan just nodded.

"Seriously."

"I'm not always a PITA." Tegan yawned. "I'm going to bed."


	2. Chapter 2

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 2**

"How are you feeling?"

It was the following Tuesday, Tegan had finished her antibiotic the day before and was hoping to jump with her team the next day. "Great."

"Well your lungs are clear." Janet put her stethoscope in her pocket. "Are you having any shortness of breath or weakness?"

"No, and I haven't coughed in two days." She tried not to sound anxious.

"What's the mission?"

"I don't know, some boring vegetation field trip, something about giant mushrooms on the planet."

"So no chasing bad guys?"

"Unless these are magic mushrooms with feet, I really doubt it."

"Fine," Janet gave into her smile, "you're cleared to jump."

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>"Welcome back SG1." General Hammond greeted from the control room, noting the yellow powder covering his prized team. "What happened?"<p>

"We're fine, sir." Tegan assured while Daniel sneezed from beside her.

"Puff balls sir. Giant ones." Jack held his arms out to indicate the size. "You know mushrooms?"

"Hit the showers and report to the infirmary." General Hammond shook his head. "Unless there's anything pressing, we'll debrief at 0800 hrs."

"No sir, we'll see you tomorrow." Jack looked at Tegan and Sam. "Ladies first."

"Actually sir, Daniel should get this stuff off him." Tegan watched him sneeze again.

"I'll be glad when they finish putting in our locker rooms." Sam wiped at the yellow substance on her face. "Think we should get checked out while they shower?"

Tegan shook her head negatively as she followed the guys down the hall. "Don't take too long. And Colonel, try not to use all the hot water."

"Hey, I gave you first dibs." Jack grinned.

"We will not be long." Teal'c bowed his head to Tegan and Sam before stepping into the locker room.

Tegan and Sam walked into the infirmary their hair still wet and stringy from their showers. Jack was heading out, "We're going to Mac's tonight."

"Isn't tonight Karioke night?" Tegan wrinkled her brow.

"Yup, and you're going to go and you're going to have fun." He thought for a minute. "That's an order Kiser."

"Yes sir." She grumbled as she spotted Janet waiting for them. Sam was already heading for the bed Janet was pointing to, so she grabbed the one next to it.

She heard Janet finishing up with Sam, and watched anxiously for the brunette to step around the curtain.

"Hey!" Janet watched Tegan jump slightly as she snuck in behind the woman. "You ok?"

"Yeah." Tegan grinned. "I was in deep thought."

"About?" Janet pulled out her pen light.

"Nothing in particular."

"How are you feeling?" Janet checked her pupils before putting the pen light back in its assigned pocket.

"Fine. The mission was routine, and boring." Tegan thought for a second. "Well except for the loud booms as the mushrooms exploded into large yellow clouds."

"Yeah, Colonel O'Neill said it was 'way cool!'" Janet stuck her stethoscope in her ears and listened to Tegan's chest. When she finished she replaced it around her neck. "You're free to go."

"Thanks." Tegan pushed herself off the bed. "Are you joining us at Mac's?"

"I think I will. Cassie's staying with Julie's daughter tonight."

"Slumber party, awesome." Tegan voice was distant as she thought back on her own childhood.

After a few minutes Janet touched her forearm. "You ok?"

Tegan nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you at Mac's."

* * *

><p>Tegan watched Jack finish off his draft, while Daniel put his arm around Sam. There was something off about Daniel's behavior, but she wasn't sure what. Some drunk monkey was on stage singing "Natural Woman."<p>

"I do not get it." Teal'c looked at Tegan. "He is not a woman."

"That's what makes it so funny." Jack winked at Tegan. "Why don't you show him how it's done Tiki?"

Tegan took a long draw of her Sprite, "I think I will."

Jack watched her walk away. "Check out that fine piece of…"

"Ahem." Janet cleared her throat.

Jack's head popped up and he grinned. The doctor was looking unusually hot tonight. "Doc, we saved you a seat."

Janet nodded and watched Tegan step up on stage. "How much did you pay her?"

"Not a cent."

Janet looked to Daniel and Sam who agreed. She gave them a brief look of disapproval. She didn't remember hearing anything that would make her think Sam was attracted to the sometimes geeky archeologist. Still since he wasn't technically military there was no harm if they struck up a relationship.

"I'm sending this one out to the best team a girl could have." Tegan prefaced her song before the intro started. _"'When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see. No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid, just as long as you stand, stand by me.'"_

"You did great Kiser!" Jack had to yell to be heard over the crowd chanting for an encore.

"Thanks." She threw her hand up in greeting to Janet and picked up her Sprite as she slid into an empty chair. "What's up with them?"

"I don't know." Jack glanced at Sam and Daniel as he shrugged.

"You sang much better than that inebriated primate Major Kiser." Teal'c picked up his own beer and took a large gulp.

"That's good to know Teal'c." She laughed lightly looking sideways at Janet.

"Hey Tegan?"

"Sir?" She lifted her eyebrows as she turned her eyes to him. She couldn't remember the last time he'd used her first name, had she been close to death?

"What do you say we go back to my place and…"

"Sir?" Janet interrupted before he could finish.

"You can come too." He waggled his eyebrows.

"Actually Colonel," Janet stood up, "I think you all need to head back to the infirmary."

"What?" Daniel turned away from whispering sweet nothings in Sam's ear.

"Why?" Sam cocked her head to the side.

"Because you're all acting like a bunch of sex crazed teenagers."

"I am not." Teal'c pointed out.

"I'm sure whatever is causing this reaction has been counteracted by your," She lowered her voice to a whisper, "symbiote."

"I'm not either." Tegan protested.

"I'm not so sure about that." Janet shook her head as a rather nice looking forty-something walked up.

"Do you have a minute?" He addressed his question to Tegan.

Without hesitating she was on her feet.

"Isn't he?" Jack mumbled.

"The owner of this establishment'" Teal'c confirmed.

"Wonder what he wants?" Daniel adjusted his glasses to get a better view of the well kept man leaning in and talking into Tegan's ear.

"What all men his age want," Janet grumbled earning a curious look from all her tablemates. "A young thing to hang on his arm."

"I hardly think Tegan would play trophy to anyone." Sam gave a nod as the owner handed a small business card to Tegan who nodded and turned back to the table.

"What was that all about?" Jack questioned.

"Nothing." Tegan grinned. What he'd propositioned, she hadn't done in so long, and she didn't see how it would work out with her current work schedule. Never knowing when she'd be on earth or not.

Somehow the interaction had left everyone confused and curious, and Janet's concern over their hormones was completely forgotten, for the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 3**

"You wanted to see me?" Janet stepped into Tegan's lab the door closing automatically behind her. She looked around quickly spotting her in the front corner of the lab looking into a microscope she'd moved there. "Rearranging?"

Tegan mumbled something about a dead zone, her eyes cutting to the security camera before moving to Janet. "Take a look."

She stepped back allowing Janet room to step up to the counter. She adjusted the microscope. "What am I looking at?"

"Beats me," Tegan responded distractedly. She stepped up behind her placing her hands on the counter resting one on either side of Janet.

"It looks like pollen." Janet shifted not certain what had gotten into Tegan, but suddenly remembering the strange behavior of SG1 the night before.

"It's from the mushrooms." Tegan moved away.

"From…"

"Yeah," Tegan nodded. She didn't remember the numbers of the planet, or why that should be important.

Janet started to step around her when she felt her wrists being gently grasped, the pressure just enough to remind her of the strength Tegan was capable of but not enough to hurt her. "Tegan?"

"Shhh," Tegan quieted before pushing her the last few inches so her back was flush against the wall, her hands pinned at her sides.

Janet felt her heart rate quicken. Tegan moved in even closer pressing her left leg between Janet's, stopping only when Janet's skirt refused to budge further. The heat from their bodies intermingled in the miniscule space between them. Tegan lifted Janet's hands easily above her head, staring deep into those large brown pools. Craning her neck towards the shorter woman she slowly licked her lips leaving a glistening trail before pulling her tongue back into her mouth. Her lips hovered a hair's breadth from Janet's.

"Medical team to physics lab one." The first announcement from the klaxons caused Tegan to pull back releasing Janet.

"That's you." She turned away bracing herself against the counter, her shoulders dropped slightly. The repeat announcement reverberated in her ears. "That's Sam!"

She ran down the hallway easily catching up with Janet at the elevator bay, both hoping who ever else responded thought to bring a medical kit.

"What happened?" Janet asked as she rushed to Sam's side.

"She just collapsed." Daniel looked like he'd just been caught with his pants down.

"What was she doing when 'she just collapsed'?" Tegan stepped into his space.

"I kissed her."

"What'd you do that for?" Tegan watched as his left hand started to touch his forehead, his eyes rolling back in his head even as the color drained from him. She thrust her arms out managing only to keep him from injuring himself on the way down.

"What's going on?" Sam pushed her back against the cabinets as the medics came in.

"What took you so long?" Janet looked back at them and then over to Tegan before her worried eyes fell back on Sam.

"We've got Colonel O'Neill in the infirmary." Julie answered.

"Who'd he kiss?" Tegan was starting to see a pattern.

"Me," Julie blushed lightly. "I tried to stop him."

"You passed out," Janet explained while trying to check Sam's pulse, and listen to the other conversations.

"Is Monroe in the infirmary?" Tegan directed her question to Julie certain Daniel was going to be just fine.

"Yes," She nodded to Daniel.

"You caught me?" He looked up at Tegan.

"I tried."

"I could…"

"Don't you dare say kiss me." She looked at Janet. "I think we need to get hormone levels…"

"On everyone including you." Janet pointed at her with her eyes.

"Why?" Daniel and Sam looked at each other.

"What do you remember?" Tegan looked between them ignoring Janet's pointed stare.

"Loud booms!" Jack commented from the doorway.

"I tried to keep him in the infirmary."

Jack saw Julie turn toward him and he blushed. "Sorry Sergeant, alien mushrooms?"

Sam gave a sigh of relief, "Is that what caused this?"

"Was I such a bad kisser?" Daniel watched her look between Janet and Tegan.

Sam shook her head no as Tegan answered her question. "We don't know yet, it's just a theory. Janet wants to get hormone levels on everyone."

"Who'd you kiss Kiser?"

"No one sir." She wished she could forget the scene that had just played out in her own lab. She wasn't sure what she'd seen in Janet's eyes. Was it fear? Was it desire? Was it something more?

* * *

><p>Tegan and Teal'c were standing in the infirmary between two beds. One had Daniel sitting cross legged at the head, and Jack sitting with one leg hanging over the side at the foot. Sam sat on the other bed with one leg tucked under her, the other bent with her chin resting on it when Janet came in.<p>

"So?" Tegan was the first to ask as Paige followed behind Janet.

"Teal'c's hormone levels are normal." Janet glanced back as General Hammond entered. "Sam's, Daniel's and Colonel O'Neill's are only slightly elevated. Yours on the other hand are extremely elevated, leaving me to believe that theirs are coming down."

"So who you gonna kiss Kiser?" Jack grinned. "I'm sure General Hammond…"

"Jack," General Hammond interrupted him.

"No one. I mean no offense but come on the General's more like a father figure to most of us. And did you really think I would pick any of you?" She indicated the male half of SG1. "You guys are like my brothers, and that's just wrong."

"You just have to touch lips, but I could always call up Greg for you." Jack grinned as Tegan blushed.

"I think I'll take my chances and let it run its course."

"We don't know what course that is," Janet spoke.

"Fine, Teal'c?" Tegan turned to him.

"Why'd you pick him?" Jack and Daniel whined together.

"Because he's closest, and why should you two get all the fun?" She turned and lifted her heels off the floor slightly to reach his lips. She pulled back and stood there for several minutes, all eyes on her. "I don't feel any different."

"Why didn't it work on her?" Jack turned to Janet.

"I don't know."

"Well, until you do know, or you are certain her hormone levels are back to normal Major Kiser you are not to leave base." General Hammond shook his head. "This is both to protect you and the general public."

"I agree," Janet added as Tegan nodded her consent.

"You think I'm a menace to society?" Tegan asked Janet after the room had cleared.

"You did try to kiss me." Janet pulled out the supplies to draw her blood just in case the Teal'c kiss had worked.

"I did?"

"You don't remember?" Janet slid the needle effortlessly into her antecubital vein.

Tegan gave a noncommittal grunt, "Maybe I should call Greg."

"You're not to leave base." Janet pressed a cotton ball to the site and pulled out the needle.

"I won't." She watched Janet walk out before finding Paige.


	4. Chapter 4

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 4**

"How close are you and Janet?" Tegan asked over a carton of low fat chocolate milk in the mess hall.

Paige blew across her coffee, a caramel ribbon of hair falling across her features before she could push it back. "Not as close as you two are, why?"

"We're just friends."

Paige wrinkled her brow. "I was just saying, not as close. I'd say not as close as you are to Sam, or Daniel, or Jack."

"Teal'c?"

"What? Did you really think kissing him was going to work?" Paige laughed.

"Why do you say that?" Tegan poured her milk into a glass.

"He's an Alien, and there's absolutely no chemistry, you may as well have kissed a wall."

"Then who would you suggest I kiss?" She watched Paige cautiously sip her coffee.

"You don't want to know." Paige sat her mug down.

"What if I do?" She drank a quarter of the glass of cold milk before sitting it back between them.

"How was Greg, I missed seeing him when he was in town."

"He was Greg." Tegan closed her eyes her face flushing.

"He might work," Paige mused.

"Might?" Tegan opened her eyes and shrugged. "He's out of the question. Jack?"

"You already said it, like kissing a brother, albeit a much older brother; Same with Daniel."

"Hmmm? How do you feel about bending rules?"

"Depends, are we talking lose my job rule bending?"

Tegan nodded holding her glass in front of her lips. "I'd be court martialed for disobeying a direct order, if caught."

Paige grinned like a school girl. "Just kiss her."

"Who?"

"Janet."

"You're crazy." She finished off her milk.

"Then kiss me."

"What makes you think if kissing Teal'c didn't work that kissing a woman would?" Tegan lowered her voice even though they were alone aside from the staff back in the kitchen.

"It's worth a shot, right?"

Even though it was her original intent in finding Paige, she suddenly felt like it was a bad idea. Greg was a better choice, she could call him up and he'd be on the next flight out.

"You know he's not going to cancel surgeries just to fly out here and kiss you." Paige read her mind. "If it works, you were miraculously cured. Either way it was a one time thing, and it stays between us."

"Fine," She caved, "My quarters in ten minutes."

She opened the door and closed it as soon as Paige walked in.

"Anxious?"

"Let's just get this over with." Tegan paced by the bed.

"I'm going to need a cover story if anyone sees me leaving."

Tegan walked over to her desk and found a disc with nothing of importance on it. "I asked you to get this for me."

"Fine." Paige laid it on the corner of the desk where she could grab it on her way out. "I want you sitting on the bed, so if this works you don't break any furniture with that hard head of yours."

"You mean you're not going to catch me if I fall?"

"Is this what you pass off as foreplay?" She joked knowing Tegan was still a virgin, at least as far as she was aware.

"Maybe we shouldn't…" Tegan was cut off as Paige's lips connected with hers, a soft warm chaste kiss, and it was over.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I just kissed Teal'c." She grinned, but it quickly faded as Paige pushed her back onto the bed.

She'd seen the pallor caress Tegan's cheeks. "Lay back T."

Several minutes passed before Tegan spoke, "I'm ok."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Tegan nodded, she'd never lost consciousness.

"Well, Janet's going to want to run labs in the morning, so I guess we'll see if it worked then. In the meantime take it easy." Instead of standing to leave she bent forward easily finding Tegan's lips with her own, pressing another slightly longer kiss there before pulling back.

"What was that for?"

"I just wanted to be sure." She smiled and stood up. "I think you should stay away from your lab for the night."

"I'll think about it." Tegan watched Paige grab the mini disc and switch off the light on her way out.

"Hey?" Sam looked up as she saw Paige coming from Tegan's quarters. She was getting ready to grab her keys and head out.

"Hey," Paige smiled and held up the disc. "Tegan asked me to grab this for her."

Sam returned the smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 5**

"Paige have you seen Tegan?" Janet had her keys in her hand. "I just called her lab and didn't get an answer."

"We had coffee and milk in the mess an hour ago. She mentioned calling it a day then. You might want to check her quarters." She hoped Sam and Janet didn't run into each other and swap stories.

Janet knocked on Tegan's door and waited for a reply.

"Yeah?"

Janet cracked the door so she could hear better, "Can I come in?"

"If I say no will you leave?"

"Yes." Janet answered automatically.

"I don't care."

"Are you feeling bad?" Janet pushed the door closed behind her.

"I'm fine." Tegan reached up and tapped the base of the lamp on her nightstand flicking it on.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Tegan watched Janet approach and she slid her hips over giving her a spot to sit. When she didn't Tegan asked, "Are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be?"

"I don't know." Tegan looked away.

"You really don't remember?" Janet wasn't sure what she wanted the answer to be.

"I'm…" Tegan locked eyes with her, the memory of the pull she'd felt earlier still fresh in her memory, but she was hopeful Paige's kiss had worked because suddenly she wasn't feeling it. At least not the overpowering can't control herself pull. "I'm sorry if I did something wrong."

"You weren't exactly…"

"Myself?" Tegan huffed, "I'm so tired of being able to just accept that. I mean yes, I wasn't. Jack wasn't, Sam wasn't, Daniel wasn't… and Teal'c as always comes out squeaky clean."

"Are you sure you're ok?" Janet sank on the mattress beside Tegan, the mattress moved slightly with her weight. Again she could feel the heat of their bodies intermingling, this time it was only where her thigh was almost touching Tegan's. She reached up and touched Tegan's cheek before she could move away.

"I don't have a fever." Tegan felt the electricity in the touch, she was certain she always had. It just seemed right now her sense of perception was still heightened, maybe the kiss hadn't helped. "I'm just tired."

"You've never admitted to being tired before."

"I've been working a lot lately."

"You always work a lot, too much."

"I'm not as young as I used to be." Tegan threw that last one out and Janet pretended to accept it with a nod.

"Do you want me to stay on base tonight? I can get Julie to pick Cassie up, or she can stay with Sam."

"I told you, I'm just tired."

Janet looked into those swirling green irises trying not to get drawn in. She could lean in, kiss Tegan on the lips and that would be that. She might cure her, she might not. She might also lose her job and probably a very close friend. Tegan had said it, she didn't remember what had happened, and Janet had to admit she was under the influence of something alien to them.

Tegan rolled over turning her back to Janet making up her mind for her. "I'll see you at 0800 hrs."

Tegan nodded. "I'll be there."

Janet walked into the infirmary with Tegan's lab results in her hands. "You kissed Teal'c."

"It worked?" She smiled glancing over at Paige.

"I don't know why you didn't pass out like the others." Janet handed the lab results to her.

"You're the one who always tells me my body doesn't react the way you expect it to."

"I guess." Janet shrugged. "I'll let General Hammond know."

Despite not really wanting too Tegan agreed to go to Mac's that night with her team. It was a Friday night which meant at least Jack would be shit-faced by last call and end up sleeping most of the weekend away. Not that he did it very often, so who was she to complain.

She ordered a house brewed root beer, and ended up giving it to Teal'c when it made her tongue all tingly. A few minutes later the nice looking forty-something approached the table carrying a sprite. "I understand you don't like my root beer."

"It's ok." She smiled politely. "My friend likes it."

"Have you given my offer anymore thought?" He sat the Sprite in front of her.

"I told you I don't think it'll work with my schedule."

"If it changes you'll let me know?" He glanced around the table at the disturbed looks he was receiving. "I'm sorry I should've introduced myself, I'm Oscar the owner of Mac's."

"If you own it then why is it called Mac's?" Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"Mac was my Dad, I inherited it." He smiled again. "This round is on the house."

Jack waited until he walked away, "If he's bugging you we can find another bar."

"There's nothing for miles," Sam blurted out.

"There's Drakes and Dames."

"Good one Danny, you want us to all loose our careers?" Jack picked up his draft, "It's a gay bar."

"How do you figure?" Daniel didn't follow.

"Drakes and Dames, duh?" Jack looked at Tegan.

"Whoosh!" She used her hand to do an imitation flyby over her head.

"Oh… OH!" Daniel blushed lightly.

"But we could go across town." Janet really didn't care one way or another.

"Look he was just impressed with my singing the other night, wanted to offer me a regular gig. It's not a big deal."

"You could go for the big time." Jack flagged down there waitress and pointed to his empty glass.

"I'm not that good."

"Yeah you are." Daniel voiced as everyone agreed with him.

"I've already got a job."

"Saving the world is just too important to you huh Kiser?"

"Someone's gotta save your ass Colonel." She smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 6**

"Do you remember?" Janet looked away from her patient.

"Remember?"

"Anything from the last couple of days?" She knew from Jack's exam he still had some memories intact, most of which thoroughly embarrassed him.

Tegan shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe."

"I need to know what you remember." Janet picked up her medical chart as an excuse. "Do you remember trying to kiss me?"

"I? I tried to kiss you?" A huge smile spread across Tegan's lips, and Janet wasn't sure what it meant. "You're kidding right?"

"No." She tried not to sound disappointed or offended.

"Would you have liked it?" The question was almost too somber and Janet looked up falling into swirling pools of green.

"What?" Her voice cracked as Tegan's thumb caressed her chin. Her knees started to turn into a gelatinous mass as Tegan licked her bottom lip.

"Would you have liked it," Tegan leaned in towards her lips, "if I'd done this?"

"I'm home!" The slamming of the front door jarred Janet from her dream.

Her face flushed as she tried to clear the vision from her head.

"Mom, you ok?" Cassie towered over her.

"I'm fine." She twisted her skull on its axis. "I just fell asleep in the chair."

"Oh." Cassie dropped her backpack on the couch. "What's for dinner?"

"I was thinking about pizza from Fernando's."

"Really?" Cassie's smile broadened.

Janet nodded.

"We're going to eat there?"

"You've got to finish your homework first."

"Is Tegan home?" Cassie unzipped her backpack.

"I'm not sure." Janet's brow wrinkled. "Why?"

"I've got an English paper I've been working on, and it's fifty percent of our six weeks' grade. I wanted her to proof it for me."

"You can call her and see. In the meantime I'm going to get a shower." _*A cold one.*_

"Can I invite her to dinner?"

"I don't care, if she's at home." Janet pushed herself out of the chair certain Tegan would decline the invitation.

* * *

><p>"Over here!" Cassie waved her arms in the air when she saw Tegan come in clad in a pair of faded jeans, a white tank top with a partially buttoned chocolate brown blouse over it. From her choice of Birks, Janet deduced she'd driven the Porsche. "We ordered a large pepperoni."<p>

"If you want something else you can order it." Janet offered.

"No, that sounds great." She slipped her square wire framed Oakley's off and laid them along side her keys on the table, as she slid into a chair. "Did you bring it?"

Cassie pulled her notebook computer out, and suddenly Janet wondered why she couldn't have just emailed the file to Tegan to proof read? She decided not to worry about it as she watched Tegan read the paper. She glanced at her attire and wondered why some days Tegan was dressed to the nines or for casual situations at least sevens, carrying a purse, doing the complete La Femme fashion look; and other days she looked more the part of the butch detective. Not that she ever really saw Tegan as butch, but tomboy occasionally came to mind. Like right now, despite how her outfit totally rocked out her figure, Janet could easily see her throwing on her leather riding jacket and sitting in that chair backwards.

Her rumination was interrupted by the waiter bringing out a piping hot twenty-one inch pizza. She was thankful for the distraction.

"Drink?" He pointed to Tegan.

"Uh," Tegan glanced around the table. "Water."

"With lemon." Cassie added with a smile.

"With lemon." Tegan nodded looking at the pizza. "Are you sure this is a large?"

"Yes." Janet pulled a slice off and handed it to Cassie. "Their extra large is twenty five inches."

"Ouch!" Tegan pulled her hand back and sucked the hot gooey cheese and sauce off her thumb as the slice she'd grabbed landed on her plate.

"Are you ok?" Janet wasn't going to survive the night at this rate.

"Fine." Tegan spoke around the thumb in her mouth.

She finished reading Cassie's paper while her pizza cooled. "It looks good to me kid, I'd give it a solid A."

"Really?"

"Yup." Tegan picked up her pizza and took a bite. It was still hot but not alarming so.

She took in Janet for the first time that evening, her brunette hair that had been pinned up that day at work now fell softly on the shoulders of her light pink blouse. There was never a time that Janet didn't look one hundred percent feminine, Tegan thought, except when she was in full biohazardous gear, and then everyone looked alien. She shook her finger as the juke box started playing, in three notes she knew the song. "I like this one; '_Sitting in the morning sun, I'll be sitting when the evening comes. Watching the ships roll in, I'll watch them roll away again.'_"

"You're embarrassing me." Cassie looked around, and even though Tegan hadn't been singing loud she'd drawn quite a few interested stares.

"Sorry," She apologized and raised her glass to her audience. She looked at Cassie. "Its habit, I sometimes just can't help myself."

"Is that all you're going to eat?" Cassie asked as she grabbed a second slice.

"Yes." Tegan rubbed her stomach. "I'm full."

"Then I don't know why you bothered to come."

"Because you invited me, besides your mom only ate one slice."

"She always only eats one slice, and then she'll have another before she goes to bed."

"And I bet you eat two more cold for breakfast in the morning?"

"Not if I get downstairs first." Janet jumped in.

"Which is why she hasn't won mother of the year yet." Cassie continued to munch on her pizza.

"Ah, want to know why she hasn't won doctor of the year?"

Cassie nodded eagerly.

"Because she gives your uncle Jack shots."

"He hates shots." Janet added.

Tegan glanced at her watch and stood up. "I should get going."

"Hot date?" Cassie ignored the warning look her mother gave her.

"Video conference with an old colleague." Tegan pulled her wallet out of her back pocket.

Janet didn't need to ask if it was Greg, she already knew. "I've got dinner."

Tegan dropped the ten on the table. It was already out of her wallet.

"You're part wouldn't have been that much anyway."

"Use it how you want Janet, but if you don't put it toward dinner, someone's getting a really nice tip, for not refilling our drinks."


	7. Chapter 7

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 7**

"Kiser." Tegan picked up the phone in her lab.

"Tegan, its Janet." She didn't need to identify herself, but did anyway.

"Hey, what's up?" Tegan's brow wrinkled, she was used to Janet just dropping in the lab and not calling her.

"I'm a little behind with pre-mission physicals. I'm supposed to do a CPR review and recertification at 1000 hrs, could you cover for me?"

"Review and recert?"

"Yup, basically review what they already know, and then test them on their skill and knowledge. If you let Paige do hers first she can help you make sure everyone else is doing the manual part correctly."

"Sure."

"You don't mind?"

"How hard can it be?"

Janet laughed.

"Who's in the class?" Tegan was starting to second guess helping Janet out.

"Paige, Colonel O'Neill, Sam, Julie, a couple of the other medics. I've got the list posted in the racquetball court."

"We're doing it in the racquetball court?"

"Yeah, the acoustics are great."

"Real great." Tegan rolled her eyes.

"I've got to go, thanks for covering for me."

"Don't mention it." Tegan dropped the phone back in its cradle. What had she gotten herself into.

"Boring!" Jack listened to the echo in the room as it was absorbed by the ten warm bodies standing there.

"Does anyone not know how to perform CPR?"

The shuffling of feet were annoying and Tegan glanced at Paige before kicking the CPR Dummy Annie. "Oh no… I've just come up on Annie and she's laying on the ground what do I do?"

"Well you don't kick her." Jack pointed out as he yawned.

"Look, I want to be here as much as you all do. I could be in my lab studying the life cycle of a protozoa."

"Cause that's oh so much fun."

"Colonel?"

"Sorry." He shrugged.

"Ok, let's start over. I walk around the corner." Tegan pretended to be walking, and suddenly stopped her mouth gapping open. "Oh no! Annie's lying on the ground."

She ran up to the over used dummy and in her best Michael Jackson falsetto started singing, _"'Annie are you ok? So, Annie are you ok? Are you ok, Annie; So. Annie are you ok, are you ok Annie?'"_

She dropped to her knees and shook the dummy. _"'Annie are you ok?'"_

_"'Will you tell us that you're ok?'"_ Paige picked up from where she stood.

_"'Annie are you ok? Are you ok Annie?'"_ Tegan checked for her pulse. "At this point if Annie isn't responding she's probably not conscious, so you need to check for a pulse, see if she's breathing, and call for help. I'm sending Major Carter to call for help. If you actually leave this room I'll fail you." Tegan grinned at Sam. "Next you want to turn the head to the side and sweep your finger in to make sure there isn't anything there, before giving two rescue breaths."

* * *

><p>"What did you do? Janet asked when Tegan entered the infirmary that afternoon for her permission physical. "Everyone's talking about what a good job you did. I always hate doing the review when Colonel O'Neill is there, and even he's still in a good mood."<p>

Tegan shrugged. "I just reviewed the whole 'Annie are you ok' thing and let them do their testing."

_"'You've been hit by a smooth criminal.'"_ One of the medics who'd been in the review walked by and gave Tegan a thumb's up.

Tegan nodded and looked back at Janet with a shrug. "I guess some guys like playing with dolls?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 8**

Janet stepped around the privacy curtain after having left Paige to finish the rest of SG1's post mission exams. "How was the mission?"

"Fine."

"Sam says you weren't sleeping well."

"How would she know?" Tegan grumbled.

"You are tent mates." Janet reminded.

"I'm sleeping."

"Uh huh, just like you're eating." Janet opened her chart. "You've been off world for a week and managed to lose five pounds."

"I always lose weight off world. We all do, except maybe Jack."

"Sam only lost two."

"I'm not Sam." She blew her bangs out of her eyes making mental note she still needed a hair cut.

"No, Sam eats."

"Can we get this over with? I have work to do."

* * *

><p>Tegan looked up as Janet entered the mess hall, the other woman's eyes automatically searching the tables and stopping on her. She raised her eyebrows as someone called her name. "Dr. Frasier!"<p>

Tegan looked back down at the glass of orange juice she'd barely touched. Deciding to make a break for it, while Janet was distracted, she grabbed the now warm glass and started to stand.

"Going somewhere?"

"Sam," A sheepish grin spread across her lips. "I…"

"Hey Kiser, save us a place would you?" Jack and Daniel walked in and made a b-line for the food.

"That's not lunch is it?" Janet appeared beside Sam and questioned the glass of juice.

"I was just…"

"Going to get some real food?" Janet pressed.

"Actually," Tegan reoccupied her chair, "I'm saving a place for the guys."

"Good, as soon as they get here, we can go through the line." Janet settled across from her. As much as she hated being on Tegan's bad side it was better than constantly wanting to undress the other woman with her eyes.

"I'm going to go ahead, if you don't mind." Sam quickly removed herself.

"I'm really not hungry." Tegan pushed the glass to the center of the table.

"You're never hungry." Janet searched her face for any signs of fatigue or illness.

Tegan opened her mouth, she wanted to protest, to start an argument, but instead she pursed her lips tightly together. The argument always ended the same. There was no point in rehashing it.

"Thanks Kiser." Jack sat his tray down next to her, as Daniel sat down beside Janet. "Is that lunch?"

"No sir." She forced a small smile. "I was just getting ready to check out the food."

"Looks like meatloaf." Daniel poked at the mystery meat with his fork. The congealed mass of pasta and cheese next to it looked almost as appetizing as road kill.

"My favorite." Jack shoved a fork load of the meat in his mouth and grinned.

"Meatloaf." Sam joined the group. She'd chosen instant mashed potatoes which, Tegan was sure tasted more like cardboard than russets, covered in the brown ooze they passed off for gravy.

"Should we?" Janet stood as Teal'c passed by.

"Chopped up cow with bread crumbs," He glanced at the plates sitting on the table, "My favorite."

"You really know how to make a meal sound appetizing Teal'c."

"It is my pleasure Major Kiser." She swore she saw the Jaffa wink, despite knowing he wouldn't even if he knew how.


	9. Chapter 9

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 9**

"Hey." Janet stood in the doorway of Tegan's research lab. "Making any headway?"

"No. You were right, the symbiote is too far gone. It's nothing more than a dried husk. I could learn as much from watching corn grow."

"Sounds exciting." Janet gave her a sardonic smile. "You going to be finishing up soon?"

"Actually, I've got a few simulations I want to run on the computer before I close up shop."

"Mind if I ask what?"

"DNA stuff, genetics, mind-numbing stuff." Tegan shrugged.

"How important is it?" Janet looked at her watch.

"To the world, not important at all. To me, wild horses couldn't pull me away."

"How about grilled bovine?"

Tegan shook her head.

"A girl's got to eat."

"Mess hall." Tegan peered into her microscope.

"Sam and Cass will be there."

"Science needs me." Tegan jotted down some figures on her clipboard while still making observations through the scope.

"Chip-n-dales?"

"Chipmunks, or barely dressed studs."

"Studs."

"DNA." Tegan pulled her current slide and put in a new one.

"I thought you said you could learn as much from watching corn grow?"

"Have you ever watched corn grow?" Tegan shot back, a frown creasing her forehead.

"Can't say that I have."

"You can learn a lot."

"It'll still be here in the morning." Janet insisted.

"Janet, I really need to finish this up and run those simulations."

"It was just a dinner invitation."

"No," She let out an exasperated sigh. "It's never just a dinner invitation with you Janet. I can take care of myself." Whether she chose to or not was an entirely different matter. "I'm not a child. I've been taking care of myself since I was old enough to walk."

Janet knew all too well there was a deep rooted truth in the statement, and let it drop. "Fine, if I can't entice you with half naked men and steak."

"I'm a doctor, I've seen it all."

"You're telling me." Janet let her eyes travel the Major's body. There was only one other female who made BDUs look good… she shook the thought from her head and tried to focus on Chip-n-Dale, and not the half naked ones. "Just don't stay here too late."

Tegan buried her face back in her microscope.

"If you change your mind…"

"I won't."

"Hey." Janet walked into the lab not surprised to see the redhead still hard at work.

Tegan was ready to tear into Janet about having just been there, when she glanced at the clock. It was after ten. "Shouldn't you be in bed or something?"

Rather than return the cutting remark Janet held up a plate covered in saran wrap. "I brought you dinner."

"Steak?" Tegan raised her eyebrows.

"Well done like you like it, I thought you could heat it up in the mess hall." Janet walked over and placed it on Tegan's desk knowing that OSHA would have a fit if they saw it. "I'd better get back home, so Sam can get to bed. You need to do the same."

"I will." Tegan reached for another slide.

The next time Janet appeared in the doorway there was no happy greeting, just an annoyed clearing of her throat as she spotted the untouched plate of now spoiled steak, cold baked potato, and wilted salad.

"What'd I do now?" Tegan looked up once again at the interruption. Janet couldn't have been gone more than ten minutes by her calculations. It took Tegan a second to notice Janet was in uniform. A glance at her watch told her it had been ten hours since she'd last seen her. "Oh."

"Oh?" Janet repeated.

"I – uh…" Tegan looked around, a grin pulling at her lips. "Time flies when you're having fun?"

Of course Janet failed to find it amusing. As much as she wanted to give into the smile, she couldn't. "You can take care of yourself huh?"

There was no escape and Tegan knew it. She reached over and cut the microscope off. It was best to just try and appease her for the moment. She could always sneak back in after she'd had a shower. "Time got away from me."

* * *

><p>"Hey Kiser, what cha working on?"<p>

Tegan tried not to growl at Jack's interruption as she put the sample she'd been working with in the centrifuge.

"Still watching corn grow?" He stepped up on the other side of the raised island where she was working.

"Something like that."

"Well it's quitting time."

"I just need five more minutes." She jotted something on the clipboard in front of her, having not even glanced in his direction.

"Too bad." He pulled the plug and Tegan looked up in horror at the machine ground to a stop.

"You didn't."

He raised his eyebrows and tapped his watch. "Quittin' time."

"Sir, do you know how long I've been working on that?"

"I have an idea."

"Janet put you up to this?"

"Nope. Doing my job Kiser."

"Watching corn grow? She tells you I worked all night and all of a sudden you grow balls and come in here to tell me its quitting time?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last part." He rubbed his chin. "I was reviewing security footage. Do you know when the last time was you actually left your lab at quitting time?"

Tegan didn't answer, and instead reached for the vial sitting it the centrifuge.

"It can wait." Jack put his hand over hers. "I couldn't find any footage where you'd actually left on time. And I know for certain you've worked pretty much through the night the last two nights. As for corn…"

"Security tapes?" She rolled her eyes, why did they have to be wired for sound too?

He nodded. "But Doc does want to see you, and if you're not too mad at me, we're getting together at Mac's tonight."

"Yes sir." She slipped her lab coat off and tossed it over her chair.

"Do I need to walk with you down to the infirmary?"

"No sir." She patted her leg and made a loud kissing sound getting Shadow's attention. "Let's go boy."

"You went back to your lab today." Janet spoke as soon as she saw Tegan come in followed by Shadow.

"You didn't tell me not to."

"I didn't think I had to." She shook her head. "But I am telling you I don't want you driving home, or at all this weekend for that matter."

"I'm meeting Sam and the guys at Mac's tonight."

"Then I'll take you."

"I can drive."

"You can spend the weekend in the infirmary," She threatened. "You have no business getting behind the wheel of a car after the amount of sleep you've had."

"Who says I'm driving a car?" She smirked.

"Tegan!"

She wasn't sure if it was the tone of Janet's voice or her expression, maybe it was the combination, but she knew when to stop. "Fine, I won't drive."


	10. Chapter 10

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 10**

_" 'Though I've tried before to tell her, of the feelings I have for her in my heart; Every time that I come near her, I just lose my nerve, as I've done from the start.'"_ The lone male a cappella voice was faint over the din of patrons in the bar, and he was either drunk or rearranging lyrics to suit his needs. _"'Every little thing she does is magic. Every little thing you do just turns me on.'"_

Tegan glanced around the room as her heart rate quickened, and a crazed orangutan somersaulted in her stomach.

"Are you ok?" Janet reached out and touched her forearm eliciting a startled jump.

"Yeah." Tegan continued to look for the owner of the voice, astutely aware it wasn't a recording.

_"'Do I have to tell the story of a thousand rainy days since we first meet? It's a big enough umbrella, but it's always me who ends up getting wet.'"_

"Are you sure?" Jack glanced around automatically reaching for a p-90 that wasn't there. Feeling a little foolish he pressed once more. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Heard one, actually." She stood up her chair pushing back in the process. "It's probably nothing."

She turned to find the bathroom just in time to see him, to know that there was no escape. Although she wasn't certain that was really what she wanted, at least not from him.

"Tegan!" He flashed his opal smile and held out his arms.

"What's he doing here?" Jack asked even as an unseen forced pulled Tegan into those waiting arms. Sam shrugged.

"What are you doing here?"

"Dance?"

"You didn't fly from Dulles to dance with me Greg." She heard something faintly on the jukebox but couldn't really make it out.

"What if I did?" He pulled her closer feeling how perfectly she fit into his embrace. "You've got an audience and at least one of them wishes they were me."

"Jack always wishes he was 'that' guy." She let him lead her for a few seconds.

"I didn't say it was Jack."

"Ah." She at least had an excuse this time. "Eagle eyes thinks I'm overworked and would rather I be at home in bed right now. She won't even let me drive."

"But here you are."

"I am." She pushed away from him. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Paige." He grinned. "I stopped by your place. When you weren't home I called and she told me to check Janet's and here for you."

"How long are you here for?"

"I'm taking the redeye out Sunday."

"So, why are you here again?" She probed for the answer he didn't want to give her.

"I needed to get away, and I remembered this cute little redhead who owed me a rain check."

"I could take you out right here," She warned lightly.

"I have no doubt about that." He looked at Janet who was starting to get restless. "So what do you say tomorrow night, I'll pick you up at seven."

"Okay." She didn't think about it too long before he led her back to the table.

"I didn't come here to crash your party." He pulled out her chair and kissed her cheek. "Wear something nice."

"Wear something nice?" Jack scoffed after Greg had left.

"Yeah who says that?" Daniel piped in.

If she didn't know better she'd think her whole team was jealous. She looked at Janet, "what?"

"You're supposed to be resting this weekend."

"I'll be home by ten I promise." She grinned before adding, "And he's driving."

Jack looked curiously between the two women before looking to Sam and raising his eyes brows in question.

* * *

><p>Tegan opened the door to find Greg standing there in a black suit with unclear pinstripes and a black dress shirt, the top button undone. In his hand was a single long stemmed rose. "Dior? I see you haven't lost your sense of style."<p>

She wondered why he could dress him self so well, but his choice of color on her was so poor. Luckily she didn't have to wear any presents tonight. She'd decided to play it safe with a classic black knee length cocktail dress with a deep v-neck.

"You look radiant as ever." He forbid his eyes to travel her body, already knowing it was prefect, he offered her the rose. "I know you'd rather have an entire rose bush, but I was running late."

"Thank you." She blushed. "Let me find a vase and I'll be ready to go."

Dinner had gone fine, light conversation. It was just like old times, and maybe that was the problem as dessert arrived, a decadent chocolate mousse with white chocolate shavings and caramel drizzled on top. Tegan picked up her spoon not really sure how to attack it, or if she was up to the task. She chose a different path. "Are you dating?"

Greg blew out the breath he'd just taken, "Off and on since you left."

"That's good." She dipped her spoon in the edge taking a small bite. It was so good she almost moaned.

"Is it?" He knew the comment wasn't about dessert.

"I want you to be happy Greg."

"I want the same for you." He pushed his half eaten crème brulèe away.

"Who is she?"

"Are you jealous?"

"No, that ship sailed a long time ago Greg." She reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. "We're… we're just us."

"That's what I needed to know." He picked up his glass of wine and it was the first time Tegan noticed he'd finished the entire bottle on his own. He cleared his throat and surprisingly hit the right key. It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd picked a better song to serenade her with, but this wasn't meant to be a serenade. _"'If that's all you will be, you'll be a waste of time. You've dreamed a thousand dreams; none seem to stick in your mind. Two points for honesty. It must make you sad to know that nobody cares at all.'" _

"Greg?" She tried to interrupt as she folded her napkin in her lap. Without looking around she knew they'd drawn unwanted attention and was glad she probably wouldn't be back at this particular restaurant anytime soon.

_ "'Can't lift a finger, can't change my mind. I never knew till someone told me that... If that's all you will be, you'll be a waste of time'"  
><em> He'd never acted like this before, not even when he drank, which was rarely. He'd always been the perfect man, the only one she'd ever really felt anything for. She couldn't blame his behavior on aliens, which would actually be a blessing. It was the kind of behavior she expected from David, except he couldn't sing. "Greg it's not polite to be rude, and it's not like you to be insincere."

_"'Two points for honesty,' _baby! _'It must make you sad to know that nobody cares at all.'"_ He licked his lower lip. _"'Nobody cares at all. They never care at all'"_

Tegan looked at the bill the waiter left with dessert and pulled out a couple of large bills to cover it and gratuity.

"I've got it baby." He slurred his words for the first time.

She lowered her voice so only he could hear here. "Don't baby me!"

She pulled out a hundred and a fifty out and folded them neatly in her palm before standing, "Good bye Greg."

"Don't leave." He watched her walk up to the maitre D'.

"Please make sure my friend gets safely back to his hotel." She slipped him the two bills to cover cab fair and his trouble before writing down the address. She then quietly slipped out the front pulling out her cell phone to call Paige.


	11. Chapter 11

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 11**

She'd simply told Paige she didn't want to talk about it when she picked her up, and begged her to forget about it when she dropped her off. She spent the night in front of a muted TV listening to music. Somewhere around two am, Guster's 'Two Points For Honesty' started playing and she hit the repeat button. She wondered just when he'd started listening to Guster, it wasn't really his generation, and just who if anyone had told him she was a waste of time.

She refused to cry, even as the tears stung her eyes. She wasn't going to let him hurt her like that. She'd never loved him, had she? No she wasn't going to cry, even as wet trails streaked her cheeks, she wasn't going to cry over him.

The sun was up when she decided if she couldn't sleep she could at least find that yellow dress and have a barbeque. Tired of hearing the painful words she returned the music to its random shuffle and headed upstairs where she took a shower. The phone rang and she stuck her suds covered head out of the shower curtain to get a better listen. It sounded like Janet, not that she was planning to answer it if it had been Greg. He probably had a hang over and a good thing too; he deserved every bit of it. And she hoped his redeye was delayed and then hit turbulence for the entire flight.

She walked by the answering machine her hair dripping water down her back causing the mossy green t-shirt she was wearing to stick to her. She hit the play button as she noticed the rose he'd brought her. "Tegan its Janet, I hope you're sleeping. Give me a call when you get this."

She picked up the cordless and dialed Janet while throwing the dress and rose on the dinning room table. "Hey."

"I didn't wake you earlier did I?"

"No, I was in the shower." She slammed the kitchen cabinet shut having found the lighter fluid.

"Did you sleep any?" She phrased the question so she hoped Tegan couldn't find any loopholes.

"Nope." Tegan wasn't going to sugar coat it, Janet was an adult. She was an adult for that matter and she wasn't about to let anyone else dictate what she could and couldn't do outside of work.

"Oh." Janet heard a drawer slide shut. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to start up the grill, want me to fix you something?"

"No." Janet checked her watch, it was eleven. "What are you fixing?"

"Yellow dress with a rose on the side."

"I take it the date didn't go well?" She tried not to smile and was glad Tegan wasn't there to see it.

"It was dinner, not a date. And it has nothing to do with him, that color looked awful with my hair."

"It was a beautiful dress, I thought you picked it out."

"Just because I like yellow doesn't mean I can wear every shade of it."

"You're grumpy."

"I haven't slept in…" Tegan was too tired to do the math in her head.

"Too long to count, so why don't you let me bring you a sedative or call in something for you?"

"I'm fine." She slid the back door open. "I need to go."

"Try not to burn the house down."

* * *

><p>Tegan looked up from the latest medical journal she was reading as the doorbell echoed in her ears. It was after eleven, which meant it was probably someone from base. She briefly cursed under her breath as she pulled the door open. "Janet I swear if you're on the other side of that door…Greg? I thought you had a flight to catch."<p>

"I…" He'd known this was a bad idea. "I changed flights."

"Oh." Her brow wrinkled, "When's it leave?"

"Trying to get rid of me?" He smiled uneasily as Shadow disappeared back into the living room disinterested in the interruption.

"Actually, yes." She looked at her bare toes against the welcome mat. She thought she should ask him in, but reminded her self she was still mad.

"First thing in the morning."

"Oh." She'd used that one already.

"Can we talk?"

"I've got to work in the morning." She started to close the door.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you even know what you're sorry for?" She turned and walked away.

"Because I hurt you, I hurt the girl…" How many times had he said it, the girl he loved, why couldn't he now? "I was a total jerk last night."

"So you remember being a jerk?"

"It was never my intention to hurt you, you have to believe that." He stepped in closing the door behind him.

_"'Can't lift a finger, can't change my mind. I never knew till someone told me that... If that's all you will be, you'll be a waste of time'" _She knew the song as well if not better than he did. _"'Two points for honesty, it must make you sad to know that nobody cares at all.'"_

"I'm sorry. I don't know how else to say it, Tegan, I'm really sorry."

She could hear the emotion in his voice. He was so close she could smell the shower gel he'd used that morning, she could feel the warmth of his body behind her, and stepped to move away from it.

He watched her silently, giving her the space she so desperately wanted.

She could feel his eyes on her. She craved his arms around her. She needed him to tell her how much he still cared for her. She needed him to tell her it wasn't too late.

"You could never love me." Her voice broke the stillness surrounding them.

"I did love you, once."

Once, she convinced herself that one little word held the future in its balance. That it meant never again. "Do you love her?"

Greg stared at her back for a long minute, wishing, hoping she would turn and look at him. That she would love him. "I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"And that's why you came back?"

"I had to know I wasn't making the biggest mistake of my life."

"Well, now you can get married with a clean conscious."

"I needed to know if there was anything between us before I could move forward." He watched her turn to him.

"I always loved you." There she said it. She meant it.

"Yes, you always loved me, but you've never been in love with me." He took her arm gently_. "'Desperado, why don't you come to your senses. You've been out ridin' fences, for so long now. You're a hard one, I know that you've got your reasons.'"_

"Don't sing to me, not now." But she didn't push him away.

"'_Desperado, why don't you come to your senses? Come down from your fences, open the gate. It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you. You better let somebody love you; you better let somebody love you...before its toooooo late.'" _ He released her arm. "Don't let life pass you by."

She moved to the stand by the front door and pulled open the drawer removing the keys to her Ducati, her back to him once again. She'd told Janet she wouldn't drive, but she needed to feel anything except what she was feeling now.

He heard the keys jingle before she closed her fist around them. "You can't leave."

"I can." Her normal defiance was missing. She didn't want to fight with him.

"You're not supposed to be driving."

"You didn't seem to care about that last night." Her voice was strangely calm even to her own ears.

"Janet asked you not to."

"I know what she said." Tegan stared at the keys in her hand, aware of his gaze piercing into her back. "I was there."

"Nice to know I'm not the only one you ignore."

"I never ignored you!" Her rage erupted like Vesuvius, the keys flying out of her hand as she turned back in his direction.

She hadn't thrown the keys. He'd seen them slip through her fingers, but he flinched all the same when they clattered on the hardwood floor. "No you just ran away from me. Built walls, pushed me away."

Her chest felt as if it would burst like a balloon filled past capacity. The room was no longer stable, reminiscent of looking through the heat rising off Arizona asphalt in August. She pointed in the direction she's last seen the door. "Leave!"

"Tegan?" He stepped toward her, his arms outstretched to catch her.

"Just go –" Her voice broke, betraying her as bubbles of darkness started to fill her vision. If he walked out, would her entire universe shatter into a million pieces? She couldn't stop the words from tearing out of her. "Leave me."


	12. Chapter 12

**Tegan Chronicles**

**Affairs of Love 12**

Janet glanced up as she heard rustling from the lump on the couch. She tried to jump up, to stop what was happening. But it seems gravity always works faster than kinetics. The soft thud was followed by, "Ouch!"

"Sorry, I…"

"What are you doing…?" Tegan interrupted herself mid question as she realized she was no longer in her own house. "What am I doing here?"

"Greg brought you over after you collapsed in your hallway. He said he'd call and check on you after his flight landed."

"How long have I been out?" Hell could freeze over before he called for all she cared. Ok, so maybe she wasn't that mad at him.

"Four hours."

"Four?" Tegan looked at her watch. "What'd you slip me?"

Janet held her hand out as Tegan pulled herself back onto the couch without accepting the offer.

"Don't lie to me."

"I didn't lie to you." Janet moved back to the chair.

"You didn't answer me either, and I know you slipped me something otherwise I'd be waking up in the infirmary."

"I didn't slip you anything. I know you haven't been sleeping, grumpy." She added for effect. "I thought I'd give you a few more hours before I called for transport, figuring there was no need to over react."

"You promise you didn't give me anything?"

"Scout's honor."

Tegan rolled her eyes.

"Besides Warner's working tonight."

"Well, that kind of explains it."

"You're not going to work today."

"Yes I am." Tegan yawned.

"I'm not, and Colonel O'Neill has orders to relieve you of duty if you show up, so do yourself a favor and don't waste his time."

"Fine," She pretended to huff but Janet saw through the ruse.

"I've got Ambien in my bag if you want it."

"With my name on it?"

"I filled it for you Friday, two pills."

Tegan held out her hand.

Janet pulled the amber bottle out and handed it to her. "Why don't you get a bottle of water and go on up to the guest room so Cassie doesn't wake you when she gets up for school in a few hours."

"Thanks, what would I do with out you?"

"Funny, Greg asked the same thing."

"He could have been the catch of my life." Tegan stood up and stretched, her cotton shirt pulling lose from her shorts and showing a glimpse of smooth ivory skin.

"Could have?"

"Yeah, another time or place I…" She looked at Janet. "Some roads just aren't meant to go down."

"I thought you loved him."

"I did, but not the way you love someone you plan to spend the rest of your life with." She twisted her head working out a kink. "What about your husband?"

"Ex-husband," Janet corrected. "I was young, stupid."

"He hit you?" She wasn't sure why, but she instinctively knew it was more than just the verbal abuse Janet had alluded to once or twice it the past.

"Twice, the first and the last, it made for a real short marriage." She pointed to the unopened bottle. "Get some rest."

* * *

><p>"I don't want you to go." Janet stood in front of Tegan who was still sitting on the exam table.<p>

"You've already cleared my team."

"But I don't want _you _to go." Janet put her hand on Tegan's knee.

"So you said, but I don't have a choice. Beside, it's just a routine mission."

"I could keep you from going."

"On what grounds?" She raised a curious eyebrow, wondering why she was even entertaining the idea.

"Your weight for one."

"You've let me go weighing less."

"Well, you haven't been sleeping well."

"That was last week." Tegan shook her head. "You gave me that Ambien and I slept for two days."

"It was twenty-two hours, and you needed it."

"Might just as well been two days. I'm good to go, you said so yourself."

"I just have a strange feeling about this one." She moved her hand realizing it had lingered too long.

"I'll be fine Janet." She smiled lightly. "And if I'm not, you'll be here to patch me up when I get back.

"I always am."

"Don't worry about it. The MALP reports were unremarkable."

"I'm just afraid that one of these days you're not coming back." She wasn't sure why her brain didn't override her heart on that one, but quickly made up for it. "I worry about you all, but especially SG1."

"It's part of the job Janet, besides you should know by now you can't get rid of us that easily."

"No, I guess not." But that didn't stop the acid dipped dagger from twisting in her stomach.


End file.
